U.S. Sen. Heidi Heitkamp to spend 100th day in office at UND April 12 for annual Westrom LecturePosted on 4/11/2013

U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND) will give the annual Wenstrom Lecture at 2:30 p.m., Friday, April 12, at the University of North Dakota Gorecki Alumni Center, on campus.

The first woman ever elected to the U.S. Senate from the state of North Dakota, Heitkamp will use the occasion to mark her 100th day in office. The Gorecki Alumni Center is located along University Avenue, just west of the Chester Fritz Auditorium.

The Wenstrom Lecture is an annual event sponsored by the UND Department of Political Science and Public Administration. Named for the late Frank A. Wenstrom, it is meant to highlight topics of public service and politics affecting the state of North Dakota. Wenstrom, a former North Dakota Lieutenant Governor and state legislator, served as President of North Dakota's second Constitutional Convention.

About Heidi Heitkamp:

Heidi Heitkamp is the junior senator from North Dakota. She is the first female senator ever elected from North Dakota, taking the oath of office on Jan. 3, 2013.

Heitkamp grew up in a large family in the small town of Mantador, N.D. Alongside her six brothers and sisters, she learned the value of hard work and responsibility, leading her to choose a life of public service. As a crime-fighting attorney general, she battled drug dealers, protected senior citizens from scams, and worked to keep sexual predators off streets and away from kids, even after their prison terms are up.

Her reputation as an advocate for the people grew when she served as a leader in the national settlement with the tobacco companies that required them to tell the truth about smoking and health, and pay restitution to the states.

As a director of the one-of-a-kind Dakota Gasification synfuels plant, Heitkamp has a long record of serving as a champion for North Dakota's energy industry. She believes North Dakota's all-of-the-above energy plan should serve as a model for the entire country.

Heitkamp sits on the Senate Agriculture Committee and Committee on Indian Affairs. She also serves on the Banking, Small Business and Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs committees

Heidi lives in Mandan with her husband, Dr. Darwin Lange, a family practitioner. They have two children, Ali and Nathan.